An End to Silence
by TILAS
Summary: The Aliens are returning. Is Ryou prepared to do what is needed to save the world AGAIN?
1. Chapter 1

Well, this is gonna be the first story written by so many authors at once. We shall not reveal just WHO is doing the writing. There's no fun in that. So sit back and enjoy.

* * *

The seven Mews, and their two accompanying boyfriends assembled in the basement of Café Mew Mew. The latest additions, Berry and Ringo squirmed a bit in nervous anticipation. Ringo especially, considering it was only a month ago that the Mews had come to her island home in search of Mew Aqua. 'Not only had they been temporarily re-untied with their former enemies, but had also found that she, young Ringo Akai, had been living on the island, alone. After the Mews had dealt with the aliens on the island, Ringo had asked to return to Japan with them. Thankfully, with a Japanese birth certificate, she could prove her citizenship, so there were no legal issues. And a month ago, she had contacted her brother, a West Point graduate, and currently serving in Iraq with the U.S. military. While he was surprised at Ringo's decision, he willingly gave Ichigo's parents temporary custody of Ringo, much to her and Ichigo's delight.

Berry was still a tad nervous after dealing with the Saint Rose Crusaders. However, her love with Tasuki proved more powerful than any magic they could use. Now, Ryou stood before them, looking ragged, tired and depressed, with Keiichiro standing next to him, a worried expression played over his face.

"I'll cut right to the chase," Ryou announced. "Three days ago, NASA caught an image on the Hubble Space Telescop," manipulating the keyboard behind him, he brought up an image of, what looked like a green shooting star.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked in awe.

"It looks pretty na do na," Purin injected.

"A similar image appeared a week before the Aliens invaded a year and a half ago," Ryou told them blankly.

"Wait, so that means," Reatsu began.

Ryou nodded solemnly. "Yes, they are returning,"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Berry asked. "I mean, you guys kinda made peace with them last time,"

"This is different now," Ryou told them grimly.

"First off," Keiichiro began. "When the Aliens left, they told us they would announce if they ever came for a visit."

"Second, they're not headed for Japan this time," Ryou interrupted. The girls and boys stared at him blankly. "The trajectory of that ship over the past three days implies that it's not coming to Tokyo, but rather, New York City,"

"In America?" Ringo asked.

"So now we need to uproot our entire lives, move to America, all learn English and fight these Aliens _again_?" Ichigo howled.

"No," Ryou told her flatly.

Ryou locked eyes with the seven girls. "I've asked too much of you already. You seven have risen to the challenge time and again. To ask you to fight again, is something I can't do with a clear conscious,"

"Shirogane," Ichigo began, astonished by what he said.

Ryou turned to Keiichiro. "I'll go to America myself, and set up a new Café. I'm relying on you to stay here and make sure nothing happens,"

"Shirognae," Keiichiro began.

"No 'buts,' no arguments. This is a burden I must bear alone," he looked up and smiled at him. "Besides, someone needs to watch the café,"

Keiichiro nodded sadly. "I have a sister in New York City, who will be more than happy to help you,"

Ryou nodded, a bit happier. "Contact her, see what she can do for me,"

"Shirogane," Ichigo began again.

"Ichigo," he replied.

She suddenly looked down and began curling the hem of her dress. "We'll miss you,"

"I'm not leaving yet baka," he told her with a quick laugh.

()()()

Three weeks of preparation found Ryou standing in the main lobby of Café Mew Mew, several luggage pieces around him, the Mews in front of him.

"Ryou," Zakuro stepped forward, extending a hand. "I'll say it's been an experience, and you are defiantly one of my better managers,"

"Thank you Zakuro-san,"

"Ryou onii-chan," Purin shouted, catching Ryou in a flying hug. "Purin is going to be so sad that you're not around," Ryou smiled, as he put her back on the floor.

"Don't be, I'll be back eventually,"

"Shirogane-san," Minto walked up to him, handing him a package of tea. "It's a personal favorite of mine. You always seem like someone who could relax a bit."

"I'll remember that, thank you Minto,"

"Shirognae," Berry and Ringo pulled him into a double hug. "Good luck with everything," they told him.

"Shirogane-san," Reatsu stood there, nervously writhing her hands.

"Yes," he asked.

She gasped, and looked up. "G-g-good luck," she told him, offering a 'peace' sign.

Ryou smiled, as Ichigo stormed up to him. "Shiro-baka, you're an annoying, perverted smart alek, and I can't stand you," she shouted, getting in his face. Then, to everyone's surprise, she pulled him into a hug.

"Open up to people. It can get lonely if you have no one to talk to," she released him, and went to stand over next to Masaya.

"I'll remember that," he then locked eyes with Masaya Aoyama.

"Aoyama-san," he began.

"Yes," Masaya replied.

"Take good care of her,"

Two honks from outside announced the arrival of Ryou's ride to the airport.

"Ryou," Keiichiro began. "My sister will meet you at the airport. She already rented out a store and apartment for you,"

"I assume you wired her to my account," he asked. Keiichiro nodded in reply. Then, even more sudden than Ichigo, he pulled his blond friend into a bone crushing embrace.

"Don't try and over burden yourself again. I'm here, and the computers are too. Ask me for help, please Ryou,"

As Keiichiro released him, he could see the look in Ryou's eyes. "Thank you old friend," he replied, before opening the main doors. He took one last, fleeting look at the café that had been both his life and home for so long, then walked down the cement path towards the car that would be the first leg in his next journey.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryou groaned, as he stretched in his seat. The twelve hour flight from Tokyo was a drain on his system. He felt completely exhausted. Which was a good thing, considering it was midnight when the plane taxied into LaGuardia National Airport. After he gathered up his luggage from baggage claim, he looked around the main lobby, as he re-familiarized himself with the English language. However, in the sea of faces, a cardboard sign stood out. 'Surprisingly, it was in Japanese Kanji, reading Ryou Shirogane." "I assume you are Keiichiro's sister," he asked, nodding to the brown haired woman holding the sign. She had the same cherry look that made Keiichiro famous, but surprisingly, had only neck length hair, opposed to her brother's back length ponytail.

"Yes, I am Asakura Akasaka, Keiichiro-chan's older sister,"

"You look a bit like him," Ryou commented, as she took him towards the parking lot.

"Keiichiro-chan told me about what you're doing," Asakura told him, as she started up the engine to the minivan. Thankfully, she must have gone to a different driving school than Keiichiro, for she was far calmer and not as much of a led foot as her younger brother.

"Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated Asakura-san," Ryou told her confidently.

"Well that's a good thing. I've already rented out a building for us to use. Two apartments, and plenty of space for a café. The lease has been signed and everything,"

"Pre-emptive, just like your brother."

"So where is this building," Ryou asked, when he noticed they were driving _away_ from the impressive skyline of Manhattan Island.

"It's in a quiet, residential area of Brooklyn," Asakura replied, getting onto the Expressway. "I know the landlord fairly well. He's a good man and won't give us any trouble, so long as we have the rent every month."

"That won't be an issue, I assure you."

"Though we will have a problem," Ryou looked over at the woman, curious to discover the latest monkey wrench in his plan.

"The landlord, Williams-san, has two sons. Very nice boys, but very nosy. I've seen them walking around the neighborhood at all hours. Apparently they collect the rent for their father."

"Not so much 'enforcers' as they are spies," Ryou mused, stroking his chin.

"We'll need to find a way to keep them out of Mew business," Asakura told him.

"I'll think of something, don't worry," Ryou assured her. They spent the next ten minutes going back and forth about all the necessary arrangements for the new café.

"Renovations should be complete by Friday, we can open next Wednesday," Asakura rattled off. Ryou nodded, deep in thought. "What's the matter?" she inquired, finally getting off the expressway and turning onto a side street.

"I'm just not sure if I'm doing the right thing."

"You're worried that you're ruining the lives of more girls." Asakura stated, stopping at a red light.

"I don't want to make the same mistakes again, that's all," he confessed, watching the light change colors.

"Ryou-kun," Asakura began, as she pulled into a parking spot. "You're a smart young man, mature and knowing. What you're not, is open. From what Keiichiro-chan told me, you seem more comfortable perched in front of a computer screen, seemingly willing to let your life pass you by." Ryou sighed deeply, nodding.

"I already lost someone because of that." Asakura could swear that she saw the blond youth blink a tear away. "Then don't let it happen again. Try and be more open to everyone, especially the girls. It will let them know that you're in it as well."

The two of them got out of the van, as Ryou looked at the building they were parked in front of. It was a pleasant looking storefront, situated on the corner of a busy looking avenue. It was painted a pale pastel pink with gold-colored molding around the wide window and door. "The apartments are upstairs, one for me, and one for you," Asakura told him, handing him a set of keys. "I asked Williams-san to have another set prepared by tomorrow," Ryou nodded, as he pulled his luggage from the trunk.

Asakura lead him up a flight of stairs to the second floor over the store.

"This is your apartment. It's not fully furnished yet, I think we can take care of that tomorrow after we meet with Williams-san,"

"Alright," Ryou agreed, unlocking the door. "Good night Akasaka-san,"

"You can call me Asakura, Ryou-kun," she replied, before heading upstairs to her apartment.

()()()

The next morning saw Ryou looking over the newly delivered furniture for the café. Asakura had gone out to purchase some breakfast, when there was a click at the door. In walked a large man, flanked by two boys. The man was somewhat fat, with short, messy black hair and narrow eyes. The two boys shared his look, but with dull brown hair instead. The three of them each had the same, narrow framed glasses.

"May I help you," Ryou asked, switching to English.

"I hope you can," the man began. "I'm Jackson Williams, the landlord. I'm looking for a," he took out a piece of paper, eyes squinting at what was written.

"It's Asakura Akasaka, dad," the taller of the two boys whispered.

"Thanks Peter," the man replied.

"She's out getting breakfast. I'm Ryou Shirogane, the owner of Café Mew Mew,"

"Is this your name," the man, Williams asked, pointing to a spot on the paper.

"Yes it is,"

"So you're the manager of this café?"

"Yes I am, is there something I need to sign,"

"Yes there is," Williams told him, handing him a pen and the paper.

As Williams began explaining what the paper was, Ryou watched the two boys out of the corner of his eye. They wandered around the room, looking around, running their hands over the woodwork, muttering things to themselves.

"The only thing that isn't mentioned in the lease," Williams concluded. "My sons, Peter and Michael will be collecting rent monthly,"

"I have no problem with that," Ryou replied. "It'll be in the mailbox every month."

"Oh, Mr. Williams," Asakura had returned, clutching a brown paper bag in one hand, and balancing two cups of coffee in the other.

"Ms. Akasaka," he replied, his two sons generally ignoring the triad. "Do you have an approximate time when the café will open,"

"By next Friday at the latest." She motioned around the room at the bubble-wrapped furniture. "As you can see, all the necessary furniture has been delivered, the kitchen appliances have been installed, and the interior renovations are nearly complete."

Mr. Williams looked around, nodding in approval. "It looks good, glad to see Charlie lived up to his reputation,"

"He was very helpful, thank you for recommending him."

"If there's nothing else you need, Peter, Michael, let's go." The three of them left with Peter, the taller of the two boys, locking the door behind them.

"They seem nice," Akasaka sighed, as she unwrapped the bag.

"Williams looks like he knows what he's talking about. But those two boys might be trouble."

Asakura sighed, as she handed him a cup of coffee. "You don't need to be a chess grandmaster all of the time Ryou-kun." Opening the bag, she handed Ryou, what looked like a sandwich on a bagel.

"What's this," he asked, holding the food item.

"It's a breakfast sandwich, sausage egg and cheese," Asakura replied happily, as she began eating her own.

"American food always mystifies me," Ryou sighed, as he took an experimental bite. "Not bad."

The rest of the day was spent in Asakura's car, driving Ryou around to purchase furniture for his new apartment. He was relatively quiet throughout the trip, agreeing to everything Asakura suggested. His silence continued once they returned later that afternoon. He spent his time assembling most of the furniture himself, while Asakura inspected her kitchen, cleaning, organizing, and preparing a list of needed ingredients. Until finally, the late spring sun had set, casting the avenue into a pale purple night, broken by the numerous lights that defined urban living.

Asakura took one last look out the window at the streets below before closing the curtain. She and Ryou were in her apartment on the third floor, seated around several computer monitors. On those monitors, were the grinning faces of the seven Tokyo Mew Mew, and Keiichiro.

"Long time no see Keiichiro-kun," Asakura laughed. Keiichiro blushed, ducking away from the web cam, letting Ichigo and Pudding fill up his head room.

"Shirogane onii-chan," Pudding cheered.

"How's America?" Ichigo asked.

"I've only been here a day Ichigo-baka," Ryou snapped back. Ichigo narrowed her eyebrows and huffed off.

"Keiichiro, are you ready," Ryou asked, once Keiichiro slid back into view.

"I have six pulses ready for the DNA cannon,"

"How are you going to infuse people halfway around the world," Minto asked, in her usual, delicate, if not obnoxious, way.

"We plan on bouncing the pulses off a satellite once it's in perfect alignment," Keiichiro explained.

"It'll ricochet the pulses down into New York City. From there, it'll be a simple matter of finding them," Ryou finished. "We already have the café set up, so we're ready on our end."

"Five more seconds," Keiichiro called out, eyes glued to the monitor. "Infusing, _now_!" He pushed a button on the control panel. The machines around them whirled to life, startling Lettuce and Ringo.

"It's alright everyone," Keiichiro assured them, as the noise increased to a crescendo. Then suddenly, it fell quiet.

"It worked," Asakura shouted. "The pulses just hit their targets. We now have six new Mews running around out there,"

Ryou's gaze grew heavy, as he slumped down in a chair.

"Shirogane-san, what's the matter," Lettuce asked, noticing his weariness.

"Nothing, I'm just tired," he shrugged off.

"Then get some sleep mister," Asakura commanded, hauling him from the chair, and pushing him towards the door.

"But I still need to do something," he protested.

"It can wait until tomorrow," she told him, dragging him down the stairs and over to his bed.

"This isn't necessary," Ryou grumbled, as Asakura proceeded to tuck him into bed. She kissed him on the forehead, giggling at his blush.

"Don't worry about it, Ryou-kun. Sleep now, you'll feel better in the morning." She switched off his lights, plunging his room into darkness.

Ryou laid there, gazing at the ceiling, lying in the darkness. His forehead still burned from where Asakura kissed him. He felt his body tingle slightly, as he drifted off to sleep. He never remembered what his mother felt like. In all the years since her death, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be hugged or kissed by a mother. His last conscious thought, before nodding off completely, was how good it felt. How good it felt, to be treated like a child.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hey, it's Kitty Kat K.O. and this was supposed to be my chapter, so it's entirely my fault for the lateness of it. I wrote about the first thousand words, but afterwards, ZephyrFiction had to take over because of me having no time to actually finish the chapter off. So a _big_ thanks to him. ^^ Zeph, I owe you.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to leave a review, please.

* * *

Buzzzz buzzzz.

Mariah's eyes widened, and her body tensed. Her attention darted to her jacket pocket, silently praying no-one else had heard her vibrating phone. Glancing around the classroom, she noted that nobody was looking in her direction, so she presumed she was safe. Inhaling deeply, and holding that breath, she slowly slid her hand into her pocket and drew out her mobile. A quick glance down at it was all she needed before hitting several buttons, terminating the buzzing and switching off the phone.

She hadn't even been here a week yet; she didn't want to get into trouble so soon.

Sighing, she slid it back into its place and relaxed in her chair. The class was almost over, and then she'd be free for the weekend. Though truthfully, she wasn't entirely looking forward to it. Big cities confused her greatly, and the daunting task of navigating all the streets and blocks terrified her. Many a time, she would set out for a place and end up somewhere completely different several hours later. But her parents normally encouraged her to go out at weekends and 'explore' or 'meet with friends'.

She mentally scoffed at that; she hadn't had any real friends in years. Moving around a lot didn't give her any time to really bond with people enough to call them friends. Mariah placed her head down on the desk, wishing they had moved somewhere else - anywhere else. She'd lived in England, Spain, Greece, France, Germany, China and even Singapore, but none had been, in her mind, as scary as New York. No, this place was by far the most frightening for her. The buildings were so tall, and there were so many more streets for her to get lost on than that of what she was used to. And the throng of people that always seemed to be about, in every direction she turned, only served to make her head spin. How on earth that many human beings could fit in one place was beyond her.

Though she guessed she'd have to get used to it. Her father's current job looked to be pretty stable at this point in time, which meant no more upping-and-leaving anytime soon. However, there was always the possibility that--

"Miss Rising! Miss Rising, please pay attention!"

Mariah was snapped out of her musings by the sound of someone calling her name. Her head shot up, and she found to her dismay that the teacher was stood by her desk, arms folded over her chest and foot tapping the ground impatiently. Her thin, wire-framed glasses were slipping down her nose, Mariah noticed as she fidgeted nervously in her seat, waiting for the woman's scrutinizing gaze to leave her.

With a voice that could envy the unpleasantness of fingers scraping mercilessly down a blackboard, the teacher asked, "Now dear, since you seem so deep in thought, what's the answer to the equation written on the board?" She smirked at the young girl's discomfort, pushing the frame of her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Taking one look at the board, Mariah's gut clenched; she knew she couldn't do this. Maths was her weakest subject, and if that wasn't bad enough, she struggled to cope under pressure.

"I'm waiting," the teacher prompted after a few moments of silence.

"Um… I… erm… I don't know," Mariah stuttered, bowing her head as her cheeks began to flush with embarrassment. Her hands clasped together in her lap and she bit her lip anxiously, waiting for the awkward tension to pass and for her teacher to move on.

Of course, with her luck, she should have known that wasn't going to happen so easily.

The elder woman feigned disappointment, and with an over-exaggerated sigh, she said, "Now isn't that a shame. Though, here's a wonder, maybe if you actually paid attention, you might just have been able to answer. Can anyone tell me the answer to make up for Miss Rising's lack of--"

But she was cut off mid-sentence by the shrill wailing of the fire alarm. Several students shot up, out of their seats, grabbing their stuff and heading for the door. Though the majority of the class seemed to be flapping about and running around the room. Shrieks and squeals came from some of the girls, as they were overcome with panic, drowning out the teacher's urgent cries for everybody to calm down. A few students, however, remained seated, simply staring around the classroom in either shock or disbelief. Though whether it was disbelief at the situation, or at their classmates' behaviour, wasn't entirely clear.

Blinking repeatedly for a moment, Mariah gathered her belongings, standing and making her way towards the door. She wasn't convinced this was a real fire; there was no evidence yet to prove the existence of such a thing. Perhaps it was just someone messing around with the alarm? But she couldn't help the slight shiver that shot down her spine. Sucking in her breath, she exited the classroom.

Instantly she regretted her decision. She found herself immediately swept along with a crowd of students, all rushing to get out of the building to safety. There was no use in trying to turn and head back to the room to re-join her class, like she knew she was supposed to - the force of the herd was too strong, and she felt herself being dragged by others, who had caught her arm accidentally and had begun pulling her in their anxious haste to get away.

It wasn't long until she was out in the yard, amongst the other students. Falling to her knees, she snapped her head back and forth in bewilderment, heaving and panting, partly due to running too fast but mostly out of fear. She could feel her breaths becoming shallower, shakier, and her whole body began to tremble as her gaze came to rest on one particular spot.

There was definitely a fire. Oh yes, she could see it now. The yellow and orange flames licking at the far building, eating everything within reach; they were taunting her, dancing in front of her eyes. She heard the students screaming in panic, as the teachers tried, in vain to restore order. Mariah was just as scared. Not from the fire, but from something else. She thought it was the intense heat was playing tricks on her eyes, but she saw it again.

A deep red thing was crawling along the walls of the school. It looked as big as a cow, with a long, flat body, a wide head, and large, deep blue eyes. It opened its mouth, and a large plume of scarlet flame shot out, covering the side of the building. That did it. The massive crowd of students around her panicked and broke like a stampeding heard, desperate to escape the monster that had invaded the school. Not Mariah.

She stood there, feet rooted to the spot, eyes wide in sheer terror. Never, in her short life, had she ever heard of a fire breathing monster. At least, outside of the fantasy novels that she indulged in. Now the monster, a Salamander, as she remembered, locked eyes with her. Everyone around her had fled the scene. It was only her, standing in the middle of the abandoned street. With an inhuman screech, the Salamander leapt off the side of the building, and landed on the ground in front of her.

Mariah could feel the intense heat radiating off the creature, as it stood, not twenty feet from her. The asphalt beneath it's feet was beginning to melt, as it arched its back. Some rational part of Mariah's brain realized that it was getting ready for another blast of fire. At me. She thought. She had no time to react, as another plume of fire was sent straight at her. However, she was spared a painful death.

The instant before the flames made contact with her skin, something grabbed her waist, pulling her away from column of heat. Mariah suddenly found herself sitting on the limb of a large elm tree that had somehow been spared becoming kindling.

"Looks like they're pulling out all the stops this time," Mariah looked next to her, and nearly fell out of the tree in astonishment. Perched next to her, was a blond teenage boy, maybe three or four years older than her. A dozen questions began firing off inside her head, each more urgent than the last. However, one blurted out before she could think.

"What is that thing?" she asked, somewhat relieved that the question was intelligent enough.

"A Chimera Anima," the blond boy replied seriously. "It's an animal, mutated by an alien organism."

"How do you stop it?" Mariah asked, realizing that the Sala- Chimera Anima had spotted them in the tree.

However, this time, the boy smirked, and kicked Mariah out of the tree.

"That's your job!" He shouted. Mariah let out a garbled scream as she plunged teen feet to the sidewalk. Instinctively, she twisted her body just enough, and landed perfectly on her feet. She gasped in surprise, only to be suppressed by a scream, as the monster charged her down.

Again, acting on instinct, she jumped to her right, avoiding the radiating heat from the monster's jaws. She felt her body arch backwards, and felt her head approach the pavement. She flung her hands down, just before her skull made lethal contact, and pushed off with her fingers. After another revolution, she was back on her feet, well away from the monster. She breathed calmly, trying to keep her heart from speeding too much.

"This might be some help!" Looking up, Mariah saw the boy throw an object at her. She caught the small projectile in her right hand, and gasped. She suddenly remembered it. The dream from last night. She had been alone, floating in a sea of shimmering white light. And through the light, there it was. A large, white Siberian Tiger. It had leapt into her bare chest, and she awoke with a start, with no memory of the dream.

But now, as the Chimera Anima began charging her down again, Mariah didn't feel fear. Her body was filling up, her hair standing on end. "Mew Mew Polos!" She shouted, raising her fist, with the object clutched in it over her head. "Metamorphosis!" She felt as if something inside her had exploded, filling every inch of her body in an incredible warmth. It spread from her chest, outward along her limbs. As the incredible warmth faded, she felt different. Stronger, faster. Once she opened her eyes again, Mariah was shocked.

Her school uniform had vanished from her body, and now, she was standing in the most outrageous outfit she could ever imagine. She wore a white, strapless dress; that clung to her body, as it made its way down, ending around her mid-thigh. The dress was somewhat puffy, with black frills on it, and an assortment of various black stripes criss-crossing across it. She looked a bit like the tiger from her dream. All that was missing were…

Mariah's hands instinctively went to the sides of her head, and her heart nearly stopped. She felt two, long, pointed cat-like ears sticking out from the sides of her head. "Focus!" The boy shouted from his perch in the tree. "You can do it, you have the power to beat that thing!" The boy's shouts seemed to re-direct the monster back towards Mariah. Gulping hard, she tried to keep herself from bolting away. Something inside her was welling up; as if a spring of water had welled up inside her, threatening to spill out.

She shot out her hands, and cried: "Incense Bearers!" Instantly, two long sticks appeared in her hands. They were both about three feet long, dark brown in color, and smelt heavily of lilacs. The monster roared, and charged her down. Only this time, her fear had been replaced by sheer determination.

"Reborn!" She shouted, spinning the sticks around her body. "Purifying Breeze!" She crossed them in front of her, as they released a cloud of smoke towards the beast. As soon as it touched the Chimera Anima, it roared in pain, as it thrashed around within the deadly smoke.

Soon, the monster's roars ceased, as it began to shrink. Mariah could only look on, as the fire breathing monstrosity she'd just been fighting, was reduced to a simple newt. However, what surprised her, was the strange, floating jellyfish-like creature that detached itself from the animal and floated away. Mariah stood there, in awe at what just happened, when she was snapped out of her reprieve.

"We need to get out of here!" The blond boy grabbed Mariah's hand and pulled her away from the scene of her battle. Only then did she hear the sound of approaching fire trucks. The boy pulled her into a parked van, and slammed the door. Before Mariah could speak, the boy pushed her in-between the seats, and covered her with a coat.

Mariah could feel the van begin to pull away, and her heart dropped. Was she being kidnapped, to take part in some heinous government experiment? The drive was short. As the car lurched to a stop, she felt the coat being pulled off her back. She looked up tentatively, nervous as to where they were. However, her fears were pointless. She could see, through the van windows, the row-houses that defined her new neighborhood. And in the distance, the wail of police and firefighter sirens echoed.

"Are you alright?" A motherly voice asked. Looking forward, she saw a brown haired woman behind the wheel.

She looked down at herself, unsure as how to answer, and was astonished. The strange clothes she had just been wearing were gone, replaced with a slightly singed school uniform. The ears were gone as well. In her right hand, however, was the same object as before, which she saw, was a small golden pendant.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," the teenage boy apologized, helping her into the seat next to him. The woman turned back around, and shifted the car into drive, pulling away from the curb.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked quickly, still jittered about what happened.

"To the new Mew Café." The boy replied. "We won't be leaving the borough, so don't worry."

Mariah turned and looked at the short, blond sitting next to her. "Who are you?" She asked, voice quivering.

"Ryou Shirogane, your new boss." He replied, offering a hand out. Mariah accepted it hesitantly.

"What, what just happened to me?" Mariah asked, trying to control her shaky voice.

"What you are," Ryou began. "Is a Mew. A girl infused with the DNA of an Endangered Animal."

Mariah could hardly believe his words. Infused? Did that mean she was a super hero now? Ryou seemed to pick up her mental query.

"Two years ago," he continued. "A group of aliens attempted to invade Earth. To stop them, myself and my friend created several other Mews. I don't know if you have heard of the Tokyo Mew Mew?"

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but nothing seemed to catch. She shook her head slowly, while Ryou sighed.

"Don't worry, you'll catch on quick."

"Was that…thing," Mariah asked, desperate for more information. "An alien?"

"Close," the woman up front corrected. "Oh, I'm sorry, Asakura Akasaka, I'm the baker at the café." Mariah's head spun a bit. She still couldn't wrap her head around everything. "What you fought, was a Chimera Anima, a biological weapon created by the aliens,"

"It takes control of a host, mutating it into a fighting machine." Ryou finished.

Mariah still couldn't believe it. How was she supposed to fight mutated alien monsters all alone. But then, something struck her. The looks of terror on the faces of the other students and teachers.

"These aliens," she began, trying to grasp everything. "They don't care who gets hurt?"

Ryou shook his head. "To them, the more people dead, the better."

Mariah gulped, still nervous about everything.

"Don't worry," Ryou continued, catching Mariah by surprise. "There are five other Mews out there in this city. Each one, another ally in this fight."

A part of Mariah lifted slightly, glad to know she wasn't alone.

"We're here." Asakura announced, parking the car. Mariah stepped out, and couldn't help but get excited. It was adorable looking place; decked out to meet any girl's tastes.

"You'll be working here from now on," Royu told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. In spite of everything that had happened, Mariah was excited. Her mother insisted she get a part-time job, and this seemed to be the perfect place.

Her mother! A part of Mariah suddenly snapped to attention, as she dug out her phone. Turning it on, it suddenly rang. Predictably, it was her mother, half sobbing, half yelling at her for not keeping her phone on. After Mariah calmed her down, assuring her that she was alright, she mentioned a young man who helped to spirit her away from the burning school. To her surprise, Mariah's mother insisted on talking to Ryou. She handed him the phone without a second thought. Her heart stopped momentarily, thinking that Ryou would tell her mother about her new role as New York's new defender. However, Ryou smooth talked her mother around.

"Your mother has no problem with you working here," Ryou told Mariah, handing her back her cell phone. "Since tomorrow's Saturday, you're to come in, at nine o'clock for some quick training. We're opening Wednesday afternoon." With that, Ryou turned around and walked towards the door next to the closed up café front, that Mariah assumed led to some apartments. "Let me drive you home Mariah," Asakura insisted, opening the passenger door to the van.

After telling Asakura where her home was, Mariah gazed out the window at the passing houses. Somewhere out in that city, aliens were plotting the downfall of human civilization. And she was all that stood between them and her family. Mariah felt her stomach turn over with dread. She really wished she'd stayed home that day.


	4. Hometown Glory

**A/N:** Hey guys! It's me! Chiharu! XD Nothing much to say here, except I love this chapter. Well, it isn't my best, and I hate writing about me... but yeah. Here ya go! Who's up next? Strawberry? sakuuya? Cherrie? It's one of you. Or Zeph. I dunno. I tried to be funny in this, as I figured I'd be the comic relief in this.

* * *

The woman opened her eyes and saw a world of dim-lit colors. She felt lost, and more importantly, she felt a throbbing pain on the left side of her chest. She clutched her aching chest as she struggled to stand up straight. As her vision cleared, she glanced in total awe at tall, blue-colored trees scratching the sky.

"Wow! Look at all the sparkles!"

The woman's eyes widened as she looked at some sort of phenomenon. They looked like small, lightly colored orbs dancing in the sky. The woman shook her head to the melodious tune they were singing. She started to walk towards the ominous orbs, but fell to the ground, tripping over what looked to be a rope of some kind.

The woman sat up and glanced at the rope. She tugged on it, and while she did, she began to pull her head. It was her hair! The blonde woman glanced at her hair for a while. She couldn't figure out how her hair had gotten so long. After a while, she stood back up and tried to walk towards the orbs again. This time she was successful. She stepped into the group of orbs floating in mid air. They began to glow brightly. She extended her hand out, wanting to know what it would feel like if she touched one of them.

"Who's there?"

The woman quickly looked at a man holding a flashlight in his hand. The man was slightly short, had blue-hair, and was wearing goggles around his neck. His eyes were green, and had spirals in them. He also had a weird accent. The woman smiled sincerely at him.

"What's your name? Do I know you, guy? Aw, man. You're invading my very weird fantasy world, y'know?"

As the man observed the woman, he noticed that she was bare. Naked, if you will. Though, she smiled at him as if she was absolutely comfortable without wearing clothes.

"My name is Para--hmm. I don't know. What do you think I should be called?"

The woman pondered his comment for a while.

"Who me? Nah…couldn't be." she replied, in a cheery tone of voice. This girl was clearly an idiot. That, or she really was intoxicated. "I'm calling you Rin. Rinny."

"Please… c'mon, now, I know you can think of something better than that. I don't think that's a great sounding name, don't you think?"

In a matter of seconds, Rin found himself staring at the woman's hazel-colored right eye, and her azure-colored left eye face to face. She suffered from Heterochromia. This made his face turn a deep crimson color.

"You're kinda jumpy," she said flatly, poking the man. "So then, there you go, Rinny. Welcome to my utopia."

* * *

**-: Chapter Four: Hometown Glory :-**

_You say you got a finger on my stuff  
Forget about the boring  
we're born too tough  
You're in my way you  
know you're luck  
Is anybody saying  
you're way too rough?  
You're getting all wild  
On things that I'm gonna think  
That I'm gonna want  
That I'm gonna see  
That I'm gonna need  
That I'm gonna need to take more of  
_You _– can't stop._

"Can't Stop" -- Pre (thing

Let's see. How do I describe beauty? The sky. Every hour of the day it's different. It's fluid, graceful, elegant. Any time you look at it, it's restorative. And it doesn't demand anything from you. When I look up, I think. Wow, sky_._ I should do that more often.

Beauty is the moment when I'm walking to meet friends, and a dark flock of birds lifts and turns all at once on the horizon, in harmony, as if they were all one being, and then later, when we're sitting outside the restaurant and someone inside starts to laugh so hard that we sitting outside start to laugh too, all of us, turning and wheeling together like a flock, one being, laughing. Yep. And I was laughing. Laughing with my brother, at seven in the morning. I had no idea why. Half of my brain was still asleep, I couldn't taste anything, and I was walking kinda funny. …I liked the little guy.

...So, I ruffled up his hair a bit, making sure I hurt him with my nails. What? No pain no gain.

"So, what you're saying is that people beating you up in your own home is_ homeless_?" I asked, laughing loudly with a smile stretched across my face. "Ha! Homeless? Dude, that's going to be the new 'pwnage'!" Let me tell you how funny 'homeless' was to me. It was hilarious! It was just the way that he said it that made me tear up. My brother was taller than me by about two inches, and my dad absolutely freaked out. He got all _oh-I-can't-believe-my-son's-taller-than-my-daughter!_ Man, I'm not even going to lie. My brother's a sap. Without me, he would probably be someone's bitch. And that was were I come in.

It was breakfast time, so my dad was making some food for him. Fatty. I stuck out my tongue. While his back was turned, of course! My little sister, Aemilia, was sitting at the table, doing… something with her DS. I think she was playing Final Fantasy X or something. I hoped to God that she wasn't. Aemilia sucked at games. Hard. How she didn't get the gaming genetic from my dad was a mystery. Yep, she was my mother's child alright. Fail-ity, fail fail.

"What? Homeless?" my dad chuckled. "You both are silly."

"What? I mean, you started using 'pwnage' when I brought it to the house!" I laughed. "And before that, the word was 'beasty', remember?" I paused, chuckling slightly. "And now, it's homeless. You're homeless. Home-eless."

"Just like your mom?"

"Oh! Oh! He just killed you, Remedios!" My brother laughed, grabbing his stomach and twirling into a laughing fit. I narrowed my eyes. Oh man, I failed at mom jokes. At least… I failed at mom jokes when I was battling my dad. No way! I wasn't going to go out like this!

"Oh yeah? Well, your mom's so fat, when she sat on a rainbow, Skittles came out!" Yeah! Take that, mister jump-in-my-conversation!

"…Really? I mean… she's your grandmother." Damn. I hate that line so much! This… this was why I couldn't hold a good 'your mom' conversation against this dude. He's lucky I had something to do today. I was going to go to that new café that opened up. Yeah, I was going to check it out with my boyfriend, Ricky. I heard they had breakfast. Umm. Breakfast. I couldn't eat anything my dad made. It's all nasty! Nasty I tell you! And besides, we planed this thing. I had been looking forward to this. I mean, I was really excited! I woke up at four o' clock in the morning and got dressed. You see, we moved from the Chi all the way to Brooklyn, and I hated it here. Hated. Hated it here. Did I mention hated? It had been a whole year since we moved, and I still couldn't forget the guys I had left back home.

I thought that maybe Brooklyn had some redeeming qualities. I was wrong. This place was just as bad as I had imagined it to be. _Horrible_. I missed my peeps. And I missed my old home. And more than anything, I missed my Hot Krunchy Kurls! Yeah, the name makes me cringe, but Brooklyn doesn't have any 'hot' chips down here. And that's why I had to represent my hometown. Because this place sucked. Well, some of the people in it were cool, I guess. And while I was lost in thought, I couldn't help but smell something burning. Hmm. My dad sucked at cooking, yes, I knew that. The smoke didn't have to remind me of that.

"Remedios! You're on fire!" My sister yelped.

"Huh?" I said. "Well, yeah. I'm always on fire, Aemilia. Anything else new?" That was a stupid thing for her to say. Oh course I was hot. So? And?

"No, your hand! Your hand!" I heard my brother scream. Y'know. Like a little wimp. I could barely hear him over the sound of bacon popping. Or was that bacon? I dunno. All I knew was that I was about to eat good in a few seconds. Ricky should have been coming towards the house any second now.

And then it happened.

I looked to my left to see my hand sizzling in a black pan. That was on_ the counter_. Now you see, the first thought that came into my head was, _"Why the hell is there a hot pan on the counter?!"_ And then I pulled my hand out of the pan with my other arm and started yelping like a baby. It hurt so bad! I started jumping up and down and waving my hand in the air.

"Why are you screaming?" My dad yelled. Why the hell would I be screaming? I stopped jumping and brought my hand to my dad.

"Waaahaaa! It hurts! Kiss it, it'll make me feel better!" There was this creepy silence, and then my dad pointed outside of the kitchen. Was he just going to leave me hanging like this? Yep.

"Stop your whining and get the door, Remedios." Oh, yeah, the door. Right, the door was the thing burning! Yeah, forget that your daughter had a second-degree burn on her hand! I grabbed the door with my burnt hand, and quickly jumped back in pain. I opened the door in rage.

"_WHAAAAAAT?!" _I yelled out loud, but then I kinda stopped my raging, as it was my beloved boyfriend standing at the door. And then he walked past me. My jaw dropped, and I stared at my dad walking up to him and giving him a_ man-hug_.

"Ricky! Glad you could make it so early. Going to help me beat season mode on Super Smash Brothers Brawl, huh?"

"Man, y'know it. Now c'mon. My mom's going to be looking for me soon. See, she doesn't know I'm gone."

"Even better!"

But—but—but—what? "Hey, Ricky! What the hell, man? You're suppose to be with me! We're suppose to be going to that Café thing! And furthermore, dad, c'mon, stop kidding yourself! I play Brawl with you, and you know it!" I was so mad! I was so furious! I wanted justice, damn it! Or some answers! Anything would have worked! "Dad, he's not your boyfriend… give him back!" Yeah! And I remembered the first day we met, too!

* * *

Ricky cursed under his breath as he glanced at an ice-cream kart that looked as if it were decorated by a three year old. Wait—he was giving that piece of crap too much praise. It looked as if someone pulled a number thirty-two on it—and then hit it consecutively with a train. 'Ice-cream' was even spelled wrong. Or at least, it was decorated to a point where you couldn't see half of the word. Ricky refrained from laughing, and then continued to walk.

"Hey, you! Buy some ice cream will ya?"

Ricky quickly turned around. Oh great…. The kart was talking to him. Ricky slapped himself on the forehead and sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was go crazy. Maybe his family was finally getting under his skin.

"Man, Ricky… you gotta get it together," he said to himself

Ricky started to walk again, but he heard faint giggles behind him. Now Ricky was scared. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was terrified of ghosts. And rape. _Especially rape_. Ricky turned around slowly, and to his surprise, a woman with long, blonde hair popped up in front of him. He nearly pissed his pants.

"What do you think your doing?! Scaring me like that!" Ricky exclaimed, panting wildly from fear.

The woman smiled at his reaction. Ricky looked at the woman, and a questionable look spread across his face. It was _snowing _outside. This girl had on a Baby Phat dainty tee-shirt that looked five sizes too small on her. She also wore a skirt that started with a ribbed waistband that lead to a plaid overlay that adorned a daintily trimmed hem. Signature detailing sat above the embroidered logo crest with ribbons placed on the left corner of the skirt. What was her deal? Was she retarded?

"Are you gonna stand there… or are you gonna buy some ice-cream?"

Ricky stood there baffled. What the hell? Selling ice-cream while it was _snowing_? You had to be kidding. Who would buy ice-ream in the winter?

"Are you serious? Are you really selling ice cream in the winter?" He had to ask.

"Yeah! Boneless ice cream! Thirty nine cents a pound! …My sister came up with that line, sure, and she fails at life, but still! Buy something! I can't buy Final Fantasy XIII without it!"

Ricky burst into laughter. "That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard! I bet you don't even know your own name!"

"Well…sure! My name is Remedios!" she replied, a bit irritated at Ricky's comment. This woman… Remedios… looked like a woman, but she sounded like a clueless, bratty, baby. She was voluptuous, sure, but every time she opened her mouth, it was like she had _brain cancer_. Her blonde hair fell into her eyes as she walked closer to the Ricky.

"W-woah…. That was priceless! Please tell me you were joking about that boneless ice cream thing."

"Well… I had got the fresh from the farm." Remedios spat sarcastically. But poor Ricky didn't pick up on that. Instead, Ricky exploded with laughter. Remedios scowled. She pointed her index finger at his face and flicked his nose. Ricky quickly grabbed his nose and winced in pain.

"Damn! What the hell was that for?!"

"Then shut up! If you want to buy something, do it! And then go away!" she yelled at him, a murderous intention deep with in her voice.

"What the heck is wrong with you? I just thought it was funny—what you said—"

Remedios shot a glair at him. After a long, _awkward _silence, the woman had a smile plastered on her face.

"Hey! Come back again, mm'kay?"

"Wait, what do you mean come back again?"

"My schedule's all messed up. I can't kick your ass today, that's why."

* * *

But of course they didn't listen to a word I said. They just walked upstairs. Man, that blew my mind.

"Fine then! I'll just go without you!" I huffed, storming out the door. And you know what I saw next? I was expecting to see some kind of trees or something. But you know what I saw? A big, f'in ball of this green snot. It was only pure instinct that I jumped out of the way. The sheer sound of snot hitting my front door was just enough to make me cringe in terror. But that wasn't even the worse part. I looked up, and a saw this… mutated looking monster just _staring _me in the face. For whatever reason, I smirked and placed my hands on my hips.

This thing was huge! And nasty, might I add. But it kind of looked like an aardvark. But then again, it kinda looked like my dad, ha.

"You wanna mess with me?!" I yelled, pointing at the beast. "Let's see… burned hand, dateless, confused… it sounds like a perfect time to kick some ass! Or beast ass!"

"Mew Mew Polas, Metamorpho-sis!"

I looked slightly to my left to see some chick wearing a white, strapless dress. And you want to know what was even more confusing? She had some sort of cat-ears. And a tail. What the hell?

"All right! Keep your dumb food, Café! I don't want it anymore! I'm going home!" I exclaimed. Brooklyn was a freaking death trap! I didn't come here to get blown to little tiny Remys! Before I could turn around, I collapsed onto the ground. I felt extremely exhausted now. Two people, a man and a woman surrounded me, and I winced loudly. My chest started to hurt now. It felt like I was having a heart attack or something.

"Hey man, I don't do too good with strangers…" I said, coughing a little. I guess that didn't stop them from walking towards me. Ah, this was bad. This was really bad! Dad! Ricky! Where were you guys when I needed you the most? You'd stop these guys… wouldn't you? The pain was getting worse… I could hardly breathe…

"May I?" The guy offered. He must wanted to help me see what was causing me so much pain. I nodded my head while wincing. This guy had a really long pony-tail. What? I needed the help. I thought I was going to die. The guy moved some of my hair away from my shoulder, and there—right where the pain was coming from—was this weird looking mark was sitting right ontop of my right boob. It looked like a cloud, and it was glowing. Like, it was glowing in a burgundy light.

And then I screamed.

The two of them both jumped at this. What? I have a fully developed voice ya know? Can't sing if my voice is all flat!

"She's our next Mew Mew, Ryou." Ryou's friend spoke. What? Am I going to die! No way!

"I wanna go home!" I managed to shriek. They both sweatdroped. I would of ran, but now my whole body felt really numb. I felt as if my whole body was being submerged with a whole lot of power. Too much power. The weird mark on my chest began to throb even faster. I could practically feel my self drifting into sleepyworld. I blinked. That was all I could do. Oh man… I was totally screwed…

"Yes… I think we've found her, Asakura."

I couldn't tell who exactly had said that. My vision was all hazy. Everything looked all burgundy-looking. Great I was going blind! Ryou's friend grabbed my shoulders and began to shake me wildly. I couldn't tell, but I think I was… drooling?

"Hey, are you ok? My name is Asakura Akasaka. Can you hear me?"

"My name is Patrick Simon and I was born in the first tooth paste tube to enter Big Mama's house." ...I think I said that very random sentence. I was so lost right now. All of a sudden, a blinding burgundy light engulfed my whole body. I was standing up, but now I was… naked? What…

"Mew Mew Remedios… Metamopho-sis!"

Wait who said that? Was it... me? Suddenly I felt my whole body plunge backwards. What was going on? I thought I might had done some kind of back flip. I thought my feet were covered with some sort of strange boots…

Something was wrapping around my hands! I-I couldn't stop them… ah, they felt like some sort of ribbon… Why was I rambling? After my body started to move in weird positions, I finally got my consciousness back! Hooray! I was me again! I looked around me and saw Ryou and his friend eyeing me.

"So, urm… what just happened?" I questioned. Ryou… I think… straightened himself out, surprised at the gaping hole underneath my feet. I looked down too. Whoa, I did that? When did I do that? Whenever I did it, the hole was awesome!

"Hey, Remedios," Ryou started, "Go find Mariah, and fast. She'll tell you all you need to know, hopefully."

My mouth formed into a small 'o'. I looked over my shoulder, and I think I saw Mariah. So wait. Mariah was a cat… girl… thing? Before I started to walk over to her and that big aardvark thing, something on my back felt heavy. ...And then I looked at myself. I was wearing this short tulle/charmeuse halter dress that featured a plunging neckline, drop waist, and dazzling sequins. It was pale-blue, but it faded into a burgundy color at the end of it. I also wore long burgundy gloves. Cool. And then I started to walk towards Mariah and that monster.

"I'll make this brief," Asakura slightly yelled towards me. "You have been infused with The Magnificent Bird of Paradise! I'll need more time to find your source of power."

Bird? Wings? I looked behind me to come into contact two big, blue and burgundy wings. I smiled. And you know what was even better? I had this long tail. Yep, a bird's tail. And I almost tripped on it, had I not noticed it.

"How do I fly?!" I beamed as I jumped into the air multiple times. But then I was blindsided by another ball of snot. It was disgusting! The monster let out this earth-shattering roar as I rolled out of the way. Wait just a second. What the heck can that snot do? I looked behind me, and I saw my front door. Except it had this big giant hole in it. _My family was deaf!!_ "Mariah!" I yelled, testing out her name. The girl looked at me with a serious expression. I couldn't tell if she was happy to see me, or terrified. And then I put on a smile. "Looks like I've gotta help you with this problem?"

"I guess so," she answered, jumping away from the monster and sort of sliding next to me. Yeah, she was definitely some kinda cat thing. But then again, I was some kind of bird thing. "You're the next Mew Ryou was telling me about! Thank goodness! I didn't think I could take this alone!"

"Well, duh. But'cha see… who's pet is this so I can yell at them for_ INCINERATING MY HOUSE?!_" I yelled. Mariah flinched a little bit, and my eyes kinda softened. Oopsy. I didn't mean to lash out on her. "Sorry about that. I haven't had the best day, I'm telling you. I burned my hand, my dad took my date, and just—" Before I could finish my sentence, that thing hurled another snot ball at us. We both screamed out loud, barely dodging the snot ball. This was _insane._

"We'd better handle this—" Mariah began, not knowing what my name was. I smirked.

"Remy. Only my family can call me Remedios," I said, grabbing Mariah's hand and shaking it wildly. "And it's pronounced Ree-me. It rhymes with dreamy. Now… how do we go on about this?" Mariah smiled nervously at me before she extended her hands.

"Incense Bearers!" Mariah exclaimed, and these two glow sticks appeared in her hands. Cool. I was hungry. And those sticks smelled good, too. Like lilacs. I snatched the sticks out of her hands, and she just looked dumbfounded. I tried to eat them, but they tasted kinda weird.

"Um… Remy…?" Mariah said, putting her hand in the air slowly, trying to get my attention.

"Man… what are these?" I carped, biting even harder on the sticks. "I think you overcooked these pizza sticks, Mariah. Eww, did you make these? They taste like flowers and _lies_." I hope she didn't make them. But if that was the only food I had to eat, I'd have to make due. I guess Mariah was still trying to tell me something, but that was when we got _pwned_. I mean, we got_ pwned_. Or at least, we were about to be _pwned_. The aardvark thing picked up its hand, and was going to turn us into a pancake. I didn't notice it at first, but Mariah did, and somersaulted out of the way. But my stupid-ass stayed there.

"I—um—Remy! I've got to do something," Mariah began. "Reborn—Purifying Breeze!" And the next thing I know, I just started coughing. Insanely. And every time I coughed, I moved. That's when I noticed the aardvark was trying to thrash me, because every time I moved, it tried to flatten me. Mariah made her way over to me, and took those horrible-tasting sticks out of my hands. "Sorry. It was the only thing I could think of…" I coughed for the next five seconds before I could get a coherent sentence out of my mouth.

"So what do we do next, Mariah? Get eaten?"

"No, Remy, you've got a power inside of you! You've got to help me out!" Me? Well, yeah. I'm full of power. But I didn't have enough power to take that big thing out. And then it hit me. I could take on the whole world if I put my mind to it. And then I put my mind to it. I was going to _speak _my mind. I _had _something on my mind. "Say the first thing that comes to your mind, Remy!"

"Nachos!" I exclaimed. "Mariah, I'm hungry," I moaned. "But wait. There's something else!"

"Really?" Mariah said, her eyes shining with hope. I nodded my head.

"Sure. I want a Coke too."

I dunno. I think something in Mariah died a little inside. And then, I couldn't shake the fact that something wanted to escape my body. Yep. "Capricious Curve!" I yelled, extending my right hand out. Dude! A giant pen appeared in my hand. A giant _fountain pen._ This pen was really slender, and I threw it over my shoulder cause it was heavy. The pen had a picture of that weird mark on my chest—just below the clicker. The pen was black, by the way. The needle was razor-sharp and jagged. Yeah boy! I was going to have fun! "I'll do something all right, Mariah! Reborn—Remedios Spellchecker!" I slung my pen over my shoulder and black ink sprayed out of it, covering the aardvark. The aardvark didn't move, roar, or spit slime at us! Yay for that!

And I couldn't stop smiling. I nodded my head at Mariah, and her grip tightened on her sticks. "Reborn—Purifying Breeze!" And just like that, the monster was gone. Gone! Yeah!

"Hi-five, Mariah!" I yelled, putting my hand in the air. Mariah smiled at me and slapped me five fingers. Not literally… but you get what I mean. And then I started dancing.

"Yeahs! Do the victory dance! The dance! The dance—_OH OW OW_!" I … stepped on my tail. It was so long. I kinda forgot it was right there.

"Good work girls," the blonde guy said, walking over to us. "So, Remedios. You're the next Mew. I guess you need to be informed of our operation." I quirked my nose. His operation? Who the hell was this guy?

"What do you mean your operation? Was this _your_ pet?" I said, pointing an index finger at the innocent, harmless aardvark next to me. And then there was this jelly-fish thing floating in the air. "Who the hell are you?"

"Ryou Shirogane. And this is Asakura Akasaka." Oh. So those were the guys that helped me. Still. "And we are apart of the project that made you a Mew. A Mew is a person infused with the DNA of an endangered animal."

"Wait? What?" Yeah… all of that this flew right past my head.

"Just come with us!" Mariah said with a sweet-sounding voice. "Come to the café! We'll explain everything there, huh?"

"Meh. Okay. But I still don't like those guys." I answered. And thus, my chapter began. But that stupid aardvark kept following me. Oh boy.

* * *

**A/N:** XD I ate KO'S sticks. I dunno. Well, yeah. Bye guys. XD


End file.
